"Hazard All He Hath": Shakespeare's Gambling WorldDavid Schwartz, Director of the Center for Gaming Research at the UNLV University Libraries

Gambling has a long presence in English life, a presence that grew steadily over time. By the Elizabethan era, gambling was so engrained within the English consciousness that it can be found throughout the works of William Shakespeare. Shakespeare incorporated references to specific games ranging from novum to primero into several of his plays, and, to prove that gambling was more than just a pastime, incorporated larger themes of gambling, and particularly “hazard,” into his work. This talk examines the state of English gambling when Shakespeare wrote and traces the presence of gambling action and themes throughout his plays.